Queer Lit

Lena Mattheis
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Queer Lit is a podcast about LGBTQIA+* literature and culture. In each episode, literary studies researcher Lena Mattheis talks to an expert in the field of queer studies. Topics include lesbian literature, inclusive pronouns and language, gay history, trans and non-binary novels, intersectionality and favourite queer films, series or poems. New episode every other week! Recent transcripts here: https://lenamattheis.wordpress.com/queer-lit-transcripts/  queerlitpodcast@gmail.com https://lenamattheis.wordpress.com/queerlit Twitter and Instagram: @queerlitpodcast Music by geovanebruny from Pixabay

  1. 12/23/2025

    Festive Special Part 2

    What is the queerest thing you did this year? Listen to the festive special to find out how queer our guests and listeners made 2025! References: Liz Breslin How To Read podcast https://www.howtoreadpodcast.com/elaine-auyoung-one-sided-relationships/ Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Nonconformity in Anglophone Literature (OUP, March 2026) https://global.oup.com/academic/product/queer-forms-and-pronouns-9780198974116?q=lena%20mattheis&lang=en&cc=gb Susan Stryker Louise Siddons’ Good Pictures Are A Strong Weapon https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517910730/good-pictures-are-a-strong-weapon/ Category is Books (Glasgow) Lighthouse Books (Edinburgh) The Bookish Type (Leeds) Kit Heyam Royal Vauxhall Tavern All Of Us Strangers Nick Cherryman European Gay Ski Week Oliver Slate-Green’s The Way Blood Travels Leah Davidson Listenqueer.co.uk Out and Wild Leilah King Coast is Queer Jack Gieseking Our Dyke Histories podcast Julie Enszer Lesbian Lives  Sinister Wisdom The Essential Poems of Pat Parker (The 87 Press) Caro de Robertis’ The Palace of Eros Joelle Taylor’s Maryville Alison Bechdel’s Spent Allan Johnson  https://thisisallan.medium.com/elf-and-safety-2b061323dbc1 Flora Johnson’s Christopher Popinkins

    31 min

  2. 12/16/2025

    Festive Special Part 1

    What is the queerest thing you did this year? Listen to the festive special to find out how queer our guests and listeners made 2025!   References: Happiest Season Kristen Stewart Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Joe Jukes https://www.hiss.sydney/ Virginia Gay’s Cyrano Qtopia Sydney Queer Britain @guildfordgaybookclub New House Art Space (Guildford) Juno Dawson’s Stay Another Day Layla McCay’s The Queer Bookshelf: A Reader’s Guide (June 2026) Libro.fm Pillion Arzner @Arznercinema

    23 min

  3. 11/18/2025

    Queerest thing you did this year?

    Share the queerest thing you did this year by 6 December to be featured on the end-of-year special and for the chance to win a special gift (if you are based in the UK). Send an email or voice recording to queerlitpodcast@gmail.com by 6 December. I can't wait to hear from you!

    2 min

  4. 11/11/2025

    “Ancient Myths and Lesbian Legends” with Mara Gold

    Medusa, Medea, Artemis… we’ve all heard their stories before but what do they sound like when not told by (or centred on) men? Mara Gold, the sapphic scholar, is here to tell us all about these figures and about how there is always more than one side to a story and more than one reading to a myth. Come for the lesbian legends, stay for the witty witches and follow us @queerlitpodcast and @sapphic_scholar.   References Mara Gold’s Ancient Myths and Legends Without Men (2025) Mara Gold’s “Rebels Against the Tyranny of Men’: Women Performing Greek Comedy in Early Twentieth-Century Britain” in Women Creating Classics (2025)  https://mara-gold.com/ @sapphic_scholar Beyond the Binary Pitt Rivers Museum https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/beyond-the-binary Ashmolean Museum Rebellious Bodies audio tour  https://app.smartify.org/en-GB/tours/ashmolean-rebellious-bodies-tour?utm_campaign=ashmoleansmartifywebpage&utm_medium=webpagelink&utm_source=ashmoleanwebsite&utm_content=rebelliousbodiestour Smartify Hélène Cixous’ “The Laugh of the Medusa” (1975) Femme fatale Gorgons Apotropaic figure Athena Hera Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind Madeleine Miller’s Circe Rosie Hewlett Pat Barker Madeleine Miller’s Circe Sirens Odyssey Durham Castle Hans Christian Andersen Selkie Demeter Penelope Medea Maenad Dionysus Bacchus True Blood Amazon Atalanta Nataly Barney Lesbos-en-Seine Artemis Double Slice https://doubleslice.studio/ Actaeon Callisto Zeus Aphrodite Jason Argonauts Glauce Suranne Jones Doctor Foster Gentleman Jack Children of Srikandi (2012) Hector and Hephaestus Radical Book Fair Lighthouse Books Edinburgh The Bookish Type Caper bookshop The Magicians Persephone Cassandra   Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:      What is sapphism?     What is classical reception? How is this relevant to Mara’s work?     What are the archetypes that Mara uses to structure the book? Which one are you most interested in and why?     What does Mara say about Srikandi and Srikandi’s role in LGBTQIA+ activism in Indonesia?     How can we draw on ancient myths for queer activism today? What does Mara say about this? What are your thoughts?     Do you have a favourite figure from mythology or legends?

    56 min

  5. 10/28/2025

    “The Queer Victorian Gothic” with Brontë Schiltz

    Are you ready to descend into the weird world of queer Gothic writing, spooky sexology, and gay ghouls? Brontë Schiltz is an expert on all of these and so much more. We speak about the televisual Gothic and about several of Brontë’s favourite Victorian writers, including masc heartthrob Vernon Lee. If you’re into fun facts about blood transfusions and half-human, half-snake main characters, this episode is for you.   References: Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies Vernon Lee (1856-1935) Ali Smith Sarah Waters Televisual gothic A Ghost Story For Christmas M.R. James “The Dead Room” Mark Gatiss The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales Chris Baldick Nigel Kneale Matthew Lewis’ The Monk Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray Jen Beagin’s Big Swiss Karl Heinrich Ulrichs’ Manor Sexology “Plain Reasons Against Sodomy” Horace Walpole John Addington Symonds Dracula George Haggerty’s Queer Gothic John Singer Sargent Clementina Anstruther-Thomson Affect studies Vernon Lee’s Hauntings “A Wicked Voice” “Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady” Megan Milks Ali Smith’s Hotel World Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies The Horse Hospital  https://www.thehorsehospital.com/events/miskatonic-televisualgothic   Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:      What is the Gothic? What did you know about the Gothic before listening and what did you learn from Brontë?     How is the Gothic queer?     Why is the Victorian period an interesting time to look at queerness?     How does Brontë speak about queerness in relation to illness?     What is your favourite spooky story?

    47 min

  6. 10/14/2025

    “Taylor’s Version Pt 2: Showgirls” with Stephanie Burt

    Are you ready to become a showgirl? Poet, scholar, and Swifty extraordinaire Stephanie Burt joins me to talk about Taylor Swift’s musical genius, queer fandom and relationship to femininity. There was simply too much to squeeze into one episode, so make sure to listen to part one first and hear all about the Gaylors, before switching to part two, to learn about Taylor's relationship to femininity, class and race. Stephanie will also tell you why she thought the “You Need To Calm Down” video was a big mistake… Follow Stephanie and myself at @notquitehydepark and @queerlitpodcast for even more content!   References Stephanie Burt’s We Are Mermaids (Greywolf Press, 2022) Stephanie Burt’s Super Gay Poems (2025) Stephanie Burt’s Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift (Basic Books, 2025) Stephanie Burt’s “Prayer for Werewolves” Poetry Unbound John Donne Katherine Philips Geoffrey Chaucer Walt Whitman Charlotte Mew Sarah Records Heavenly Tender Trap Blueboy Ella Darling Motown Carole King Dolly Parton “You Belong With Me” Red Reputation Miss Americana (2020) Lover Rachel Hartman’s Tess of the Road Gaylorism Gaylors and Hetlors “When Emma Falls in Love” “All Too Well” Joe Jonas Taylor Lautner Jake Gyllenhaal “Back to December” John Mayer The Life of a Show Girl Elizabeth Taylor Katharine Hepburn Ophelia Hamlet Julia Serano Frozen Mononormativity Evermore “Tis The Damn Season” The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection “Christmases When You Were Mine” Crass Grace Petrie Taylearning podcast “Clara Bow” Britney Spears Miley Cyrus “You Need to Come Down” Adeem the Artist Journey to Fearless Lara Heimert @notquitehydepark Rachel Gold’s In the Silences Imogen Binnie’s Nevada X-Men Gold 30 D.A. Powell Team Dresch’s Captain My Captain Slater Kinney Heartbreak High Sex Education Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina   Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:      How does Stephanie speak about the relationship between poetry, lyrics and music? Where does this become relevant in Taylor Swift’s work?     What does the term ‘Gaylor’ refer to and why are there so many of them?     We speak about sapphic forms in this episode. What makes a form sapphic for you?     What is feminophobia and why could being femme be read as giving up power? How does this relate to trans femininity?     What does Stephanie suggest about the representation of class in the “You Need To Calm Down” video?     Why does Stephanie stress that Taylor knows that she is white? How does Stephanie describe Taylor’s engagement with race and the music of Black women?     Does Taylor’s music speak to you? Why or why not?

    56 min

  7. 10/07/2025

    “Taylor’s Version Pt 1: Gaylors” with Stephanie Burt

    Are you ready to become a showgirl? Poet, scholar, and Swifty extraordinaire Stephanie Burt joins me to talk about Taylor Swift’s musical genius, queer fandom and relationship to femininity. There was simply too much to squeeze into one episode, so make sure to listen to part one first and hear all about the Gaylors, before switching to part two, to learn about Taylor;s relationship to femininity, class and race. Stephanie will also tell you why she thought the “You Need To Calm Down” video was a big mistake… Follow Stephanie and myself at @notquitehydepark and @queerlitpodcast for even more content!   References Stephanie Burt’s We Are Mermaids (Greywolf Press, 2022) Stephanie Burt’s Super Gay Poems (2025) Stephanie Burt’s Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift (Basic Books, 2025) Stephanie Burt’s “Prayer for Werewolves” Poetry Unbound John Donne Katherine Philips Geoffrey Chaucer Walt Whitman Charlotte Mew Sarah Records Heavenly Tender Trap Blueboy Ella Darling Motown Carole King Dolly Parton “You Belong With Me” Red Reputation Miss Americana (2020) Lover Rachel Hartman’s Tess of the Road Gaylorism Gaylors and Hetlors “When Emma Falls in Love” “All Too Well” Joe Jonas Taylor Lautner Jake Gyllenhaal “Back to December” John Mayer The Life of a Show Girl Elizabeth Taylor Katharine Hepburn Ophelia Hamlet Julia Serano Frozen Mononormativity Evermore “Tis The Damn Season” The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection “Christmases When You Were Mine” Crass Grace Petrie Taylearning podcast “Clara Bow” Britney Spears Miley Cyrus “You Need to Come Down” Adeem the Artist Journey to Fearless Lara Heimert @notquitehydepark Rachel Gold’s In the Silences Imogen Binnie’s Nevada X-Men Gold 30 D.A. Powell Team Dresch’s Captain My Captain Slater Kinney Heartbreak High Sex Education Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina   Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:      How does Stephanie speak about the relationship between poetry, lyrics and music? Where does this become relevant in Taylor Swift’s work?     What does the term ‘Gaylor’ refer to and why are there so many of them?     We speak about sapphic forms in this episode. What makes a form sapphic for you?     What is feminophobia and why could being femme be read as giving up power? How does this relate to trans femininity?     What does Stephanie suggest about the representation of class in the “You Need To Calm Down” video?     Why does Stephanie stress that Taylor knows that she is white? How does Stephanie describe Taylor’s engagement with race and the music of Black women?     Does Taylor’s music speak to you? Why or why not?

    40 min

  8. 09/23/2025

    "No" with Sara Ahmed

    Our favourite feminist killjoy is back! Sara Ahmed joins me to talk about her brand-new book No Is Not A Lonely Utterance: The Art and Activism of Complaining. In her first ever (how special are we) public conversation about the book, Sara speaks about becoming a feminist ear and a complaint collector, sharing stories of her own complaints as well as those shared with her in community. Explaining how the power of complaining lies in creativity and collectivity, Sara shows why saying no is a powerful queer method.   References: Sarah Ahmed’s No Is Not A Lonely Utterance (Allen Lane, 2025) Sarah Ahmed’s The Feminist Killjoy Handbook (Penguin, 2023) Sarah Ahmed’s Complaint! (Duke, 2021) Sarah Ahmed’s What’s the Use (Duke, 2019) Sarah Ahmed’s On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life (Duke, 2012) Onomatopoeia Jean Porcelli Race Relations Amendment Act CARD Complaint Against Racial Discrimination Kennetta Hammond Perry’s London is the Place for Me: Black Britons, Citizenship and the Politics of Race (2018)  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/london-is-the-place-for-me-9780190909949?cc=gb&lang=en& Heather Love’s Feeling Backward Chelsea Watego’s “Always Bet On Black (Power)” (2021) https://meanjin.com.au/essays/always-bet-on-black-power/   Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:      What is a feminist ear? How might you become one?     We speak about the role of energy in complaining. Where can energy come from or disappear to? To quote Sara: ‘puff, puff’     How does Sara define institutional fatalism and why might it be an illusion?     What makes complaint a queer method?     This is a question from Sara’s book: What is the first complaint you remember making? How do you feel about it now?

    1h 1m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Queer Lit is a podcast about LGBTQIA+* literature and culture. In each episode, literary studies researcher Lena Mattheis talks to an expert in the field of queer studies. Topics include lesbian literature, inclusive pronouns and language, gay history, trans and non-binary novels, intersectionality and favourite queer films, series or poems. New episode every other week! Recent transcripts here: https://lenamattheis.wordpress.com/queer-lit-transcripts/  queerlitpodcast@gmail.com https://lenamattheis.wordpress.com/queerlit Twitter and Instagram: @queerlitpodcast Music by geovanebruny from Pixabay

Information

  • Creator
    Lena Mattheis
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    149
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Lena Mattheis
  • Show Website
    Queer Lit